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#16 – The Anomaly

A lot of people tend to shy away from a lot of metal songs, regardless of what it is. If they hear the word “metal” they immediately decide they are not going to like it. I have the opinion that a lot of people can enjoy some forms of metal for the same principles that make them like other genres. If they can appreciate emotion, musicianship, and pleasing melodies, then they can indeed enjoy some metal songs too, especially a lot of great melodic metal bands out of Sweden. Take Scar Symmetry for example. I know under the genre it says “death metal” after the word melodic, but seriously, the melody is more prevalent than the death for this song! So without further ado, here is my review of Scar Symmetry’s The Anomaly.

As in metal song fashion, this track wastes no time getting your attention. As I said, you’ll hear a lot of melody right off the bat. After a powerful, triumphant opening, the band immediately shows its talent through a short but blistering guitar solo. The verse begins, and I have to say the screamed vocals are actually better than a lot of other similar metal bands out there. Harsh vocalist Roberth Karlsson’s screams are crisp and don’t feel forced at all. The buildup to the prechorus has this great overlap of harsh and clean vocals, and then the prechorus itself starts what is arguably the best facet of the track, and that is Lars Palmqvist’s vocals. His singing is so good. Honestly if he was to sing a pop song on the radio, I’d listen to it. The song’s chorus is totally bolstered by his singing ability, and I get shivers at the line, “If you follow, I will lead” every time I listen. The notes fit perfectly, and the melody is as catchy as anything. Also you get a lot of power and emotion in Palmqvist’s voice here, and it makes all the difference between a mediocre chorus and a great chorus.

All the while here, the music is crazy good too. The drums are fast, the guitars are loud and add that huge wall of background melody we need here. This band has six musicians, and they are all contributing in a major way to this track. There’s a short melodic bridge, and then the guitar solos come in. Both of the band’s guitarists alternate back and forth between these nice little power metal solos. They’re nothing special, but are really there to assure you of what you’re listening to, and that the guitarists have talent.

There’s one last chorus, and then the final, powerful words “I AM THE ANOMALY!” Speaking of lyrics, they certainly aren’t the standout here, but they get the job done. They deal with being a follower to oppression, and how certain people control everything in our daily lives. The album itself has this grand theme of exposing hidden governments, but this is the best song on the album, honestly. Head and shoulders above the rest.

So, The Anomaly is super catchy for a metal track. It’s got great musicianship, awesome clean and harsh vocals, and just a great sound. If you really want to give something new a try, I highly recommend this track.